On the Drawing Board: Ferrostaal

14th July, 2010 by Melanie Archer | 0 comments

Yes, we are aware that drawings boards are scarce these days but what other phrase so aptly describes a design-related work in progress?! In this and future OtDB entries, we share our projects that are in the design stage, but on which construction hasn't yet begun. Here, a look at an office fit-out collaboration between Barbados-based idesign limited and acla:works:

Earlier this year, German industrial services company Ferrostaal approached idesign limited about the fit-out of a space for their new regional headquarters to be based in St. Clair, Trinidad. The timing could not have been more propitious—acla:works and idesign had been actively seeking to collaborate on a project that would benefit clients through our combined design capabilities and integrated project delivery.

A few weeks after Ferrostaal’s initial approach we had made that crucial link between image and corporate culture. The result? A classic modern style rooted in the Bauhaus and reflected in the design concept by the use of materials such as granite, slate, birch, and glass. Classic modern furniture pieces (as well as a few bespoke ones) were also incorporated.

The layout—reception, private offices, workstations, conference rooms and a lunchroom—abounds in creative details like concealed, built-in lighting and interlocking linear forms in the ceiling soffits and walls. The largely open plan design offers natural light and views to all employees through perimeter windows, while sophisticated artificial lighting discreetly supplements nature’s own. The design concept, which is predominantly neutral in field colour with few striking accent colours, promises an efficient and visually stimulating environment for Ferrostaal employees and conveys a clear vision of the company’s corporate image.

– Giselle Crayston [idesign] and Peter Chandler [acla:works]

below: renderings of the new Ferrostaal offices